THE TYSA: ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
Lidia Kabanova, Dr.Sergi Tykhenko
Sumy State University, Ukraine
Ukraine belongs to the countries with a high level of negative ecological consequences cause by production
activity. That is why the problem of environmental protection and the reasonable usage of natural resources are of
primary importance. High concentrations of population and industrial production (especially in Donbas and
Prydniprovya), imperfect technologies make very bad influence on environment. The most complicated ecological
situation arose in regions adjoining.
Water resources protection is an urgent problem for Ukraine. Water supply amounts to 1000 cubic meters of
the local flowing per capita per year. But water supply is not adequate for all regions of Ukraine. In Zaporizka,
Odeska, Mykolaivska, Khersonska, Donetska regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea at the sea shores –
places of rest and cure – tense ecological situation arose because of frequent emergency discharge of municipal
sewages.
Human activity has considerably changed he course of natural processes occurring in the Upstream Tysa
watershed. Efficient water management on the Ukrainian part of the Tysa basin is extremely important for a
sustainable development and preservation of the environment due to the following reasons:
- Much of the water in the Tysa River are formed in mountain areas in the headstream of the river where
precipitation levels are high
- The headstream condition directly influences life of people residing in zones with risk of flooding
- The region has been passing through social and economic crisis. This possesses a threat to well-balanced
natural resources usage, which in return is a threat for ecological balance of the Tysa
- The headstream is located in an area with natural disposal to mudflows, landslips and catastrophic high
waters. Human activity should be oriented on reduction of this risk instead of its increasing
- Upstream the Tysa region is of a great ecological value.
Water quality and erosion (environmental concerns):
During the last decades, the economic infrastructure of the Transcarpathia area has changed considerably;
anthropogenic stress for river ecosystem has increased causing water quality deterioration and erosion of river-banks
and slopes. The water quality of upstream rivers of the Transcarpathia remains rather good in general. However,
absence in the majority of settlements and the enterprises of sewage works and treatment facilities has resulted in
pollution of several rivers within the Transcarpathia lowland and a water quality not always meeting actual
requirements.
Essential hazard is caused by erosion as a result of significant reduction of the mature forest area because of
high level of logging, changing of their specific structure, slow growth of young woods. Ecologically safe methods
of logging are not encouraged and illegal logging is still going on. Also overgrazing (concerning sheep and goats)
results in vegetative cover destruction, poaching and subsequent surface run-off and erosion increase. Further
reasons for erosion are:
a) economic use of the flood plains without taking into account possible negative consequences,
b) uncontrolled construction and economic activities on territories with high flood risk, and
c) mining activities.
Main problem for the Transcarpathia region is protection of population, enterprises, agricultural lands and
urban regions against floods and high water caused by the Tysa River and its tributaries. Flood protecting facilities
in the Transcarpathia region are designed for different levels of floods but in accordance with standards of the time
they were put into operation. Some of them are out of order and need reconstruction and structure rehabilitation. The
dams don’t meet up-to-date standards and technical requirements. Insufficient financing of flood protection
measures in the Transcarpathia region was one of the reasons that caused the hard flood damages of November 1998
and March 2001.
Regional rural development
One of the basic problems is also agricultural reclaiming of high water dangerous floodplains caused by
shortage of suitable areas for agriculture. It is necessary to take the following steps:
- disable a part of agriculture land from agricultural usage
- resettlement of people from dangerous areas
- introduction of the circuit-meliorative terrain organization
- introduction of ecologically safe agriculture technologies.
Actual problems in this field are caused by:
- Short-financing of natural-protection fund objects
- Uncontrollable economic activities destroying natural habitats integrity
- Non-authorized deforestation, poaching
- Insufficient education of the population in the field of wildlife conservation.
Successful solutions of these problems depend on the mechanisms and tools created for integrated (complex)
development of the regions. Besides the multi-sectoral regional partnerships should be aimed to mobilization of the
financial resources for the effective solutions of the economic, social, cultural and environmental problems in the
regions. Mobilization of human resources for the wise decision-making and Ukraine development of human
resources and transfer of the ecologically friendly technologies into the region also should be taken into account.
Integrated development of the regions requires the creation of links between politics and, often not related,
institutions and fields, such as local economy, natural, cultural and historical heritage of the regions, information
systems, education, agriculture, business and services. By creating the partnerships in the regions we encourage
human resources to use the public finances for the public benefit more effectively.
The government plays an essential role in the public administration reform process. It transfers the approved
principles onto the regional and local governments, and plays a vital role in mobilization of financial and human
resources. It establishes the legislation, introduces the standards into the life, and creates opportunities for the wider
participation of the public in the socio-economic development, and not only in the territory of Ukraine. The Tysa is
a transboundary river and all Europe community should be interested in the successful solution.
Ukraine relies on international cooperation in water management of transboundary river basins for
environmental protection, sustainable development of regions, living standards of population improvement,
enhancing of local economy, natural resources and cultural heritage conservation.
These are the following priorities concerning international cooperation on management of the Tysa:
- Preservation and steady usage of a biological and landscape diversity
- Stable local development and terrain planning
- Sustainable and integrated water management (including river management)
- Stable planning of the transport and infrastructure
- Sustainable tourism
- Renewal power sources and high technologies introduction
- Environmental control of monitoring and prevention
- The cultural heritage and local customs
- Increasing of a level of public awareness, education and participation.